Interstate oops: Unauthorized VDOT work caused traffic jams

NEWPORT NEWS — Debacle is defined as a sudden and ignominious failure; a fiasco.

That about sums up two days of Peninsula traffic jams on Interstate 64 caused by a contractor performing unauthorized work.

Traffic stacked up eastbound, in the vicinity of Fort Eustis Boulevard, for much of the day Wednesday and Thursday as a result of a left lane closure. Cars backed up for miles and spilled off the interstate onto secondary roads as drivers tried to find alternate routes around the mess.

But none of it should have happened.

The contractor — a Northern Virginia company called Portico Realty Services — wasn't supposed to start the work until Friday evening and VDOT was unaware of the problem until the Daily Press made an inquiry Thursday.

The problem was caused by "an unauthorized lane closure," said Jennifer Gwaltney, a VDOT spokeswoman. "The subcontractor... wasn't supposed to be working there then. No one caught it."

The work on overhead electronic signage was supposed to take place during overnight hours from March 16-23, Gwaltney said, adding: "There will be no more daytime work on the project."

When asked how VDOT could miss the unauthorized work, Gwaltney noted there are currently 600 ongoing lane closures in Hampton Roads due to construction and maintenance work.

"We appreciate hearing from the public any time there is something unusual happening," she said. "If they are in the roadway and we know it, they will be removed."

Contractors have to follow certain requirements that dictate where and when they can work. "Apparently the contractor misread the limitations of operation," Gwaltney said. "We're making every effort to make sure it doesn't happen again."

When asked about possible repercussions for the contractor, Gwaltney said VDOT would try to work with the company the first time there is a problem. She didn't know of other potential penalties.

"We'll definitely keep an eye on him," she said.

Some motorists reported heavy traffic on Jefferson Avenue as a result of the tie-up, but Lou Thurston, a Newport News Police spokesman, said no complaints were reported.

"I guess everyone just thought it was normal Jefferson traffic," he said.

Denbigh resident Eric Bailey said he was traveling on I-64 eastbound Thursday and got ensnared in traffic near Williamsburg.

"Today was ridiculous," he said Thursday afternoon.

"I took an exit to try to get away from it, and everyone in the world was doing that too, so Jefferson Avenue was just as horrible."

Bailey said doing the work during the day instead of at night "was a big mistake. That traffic on I-64 is already bad anyway. People should be cognizant of that."